Hotel Vermont Attracting International Attention

We were pleased to see a wonderful review of the recently opened Hotel Vermont in this past weekend's Montreal Gazette. The hotel is gaining national and international attention as more people experience this unique, independent, Very Vermont hotel.

The Montreal Gazette calls it a "woodsy and trendy" hip venue. "An artisan project from furniture to food." The author was a guest of the hotel and goes on to write: "Burlington’s first contemporary boutique property, the Hotel Vermont opened this year with a singular dedication to regional products, individual craftsmanship and eco-consciousness."

You can read the whole Montreal Gazette article online.

Hotel Vermont was also earlier previewed in Lodging Magazine, the official magazine of the American Hotel + Lodging Association.

The May 2013 issue featured a rendering of the Deluxe King guestroom, released before the hotel opened. "A Vermont Vignette" provided a sneak peak of the guestroom with its custom bed and casework furnishings, overlooking Lake Champlain.

A longer article was published on the Lodging Magazine website: Hotel Vermont Opens as Burlington's First Independent Hotel.

A Sneak Preview of the Hotel Vermont guestrooms

We are counting down the days until the opening of Hotel Vermont.  As you may know from past posts, TruexCullins is designing the interiors for this LEED-certified hotel going up on Cherry Street in Burlington.  Last October we shared some renderings of the proposed bar at Juniper Lounge, located on the lobby level of the hotel. Check them out here if you missed it the first time.

Now we have new renderings of the hotel guestrooms, courtesy of our in-house digital wizards.  The rooms are all very modern and clean, with natural wood casegoods, dramatic lighting, and full-height doors and headboards.

In the Whirlpool King room, guests will enjoy a luxury bath that opens to the bedroom by a sliding glass door and an in-room fireplace facing the bed.

All of the guestrooms, including the Deluxe King, feature custom wood casegoods and furnishings.  The centerpoint of the room is the floor-to-ceiling headboard crafted from character-grade White Oak.  A built-in window seat makes maximum use of the space in front of the window and integrates seamlessly with the adjacent desk and dresser unit.

In this view, looking back towards the entrance, the guestroom bathroom is visible as a cube within the space.  Wood doors with translucent panels slide away on both sides of the bathroom so that when open, all the spaces flow continuously as one.

Some rooms have a larger entry, with a console unit as seen here.  A sliding door opens to the bathroom, with backlit mirror and vessel sink.

TruexCullins Interiors is responsible for the design and specification of most everything you see in these images, from the finishes and furnishings right down to the artwork and room accessories.

The Hotel Vermont guestrooms promise to be as unique as our state itself, and we can't wait to see the finished product!

A Sneak Preview of the Juniper Lounge

Anticipation is mounting on the west end of Cherry Street.  You may have seen the 200 foot crane towering over the downtown block as the city’s newest hotel takes shape.  Hotel Vermont is set to open in Spring 2013, and we are looking forward to a very grand opening.

This photo, taken earlier this month, shows the progress being made on the exterior envelope.  The hotel, designed by Smith Buckley Architects, occupies a formerly underutilized parcel on Cherry Street, between Macy’s and the Courtyard Marriott.  The hotel will be in an ideal downtown location, halfway between the waterfront and the Church Street marketplace.

Meanwhile, our work on the interior is continuing, with the design of natural materials, custom furnishings and dramatic lighting.

On the main floor, the heart of the hotel will be the Juniper Lounge.

With juices and pastries in the morning, and creative cocktails in the evening, this is a fluid and flexible space that will change accordingly throughout the day.  We recently produced these photorealistic renderings of the bar area, with actual materials and colors.  The bar features a local wood floor and wall finishes of white oak and black slate.  The space looks out to an outdoor terrace with a fire pit and lake views. (Click to enlarge.)

You can see these and more images on the Hotel Vermont Pinterest site.

Hotel Vermont at the Vermont Expo

Visitors to the Vermont Business and Industry Expo last week had a chance to get a sneak preview of the interior design work we are developing for the new Hotel Vermont. We assisted the hotel with their booth at the Expo, with the arrangement of interior finishes that will grace the new boutique hotel in downtown Burlington.

The presentation of carpets, fabrics and greenery gave visitors to the Expo a sense of what the new hotel lobby and lounge will feel like. 'Stay Natural' is the tagline of the new hotel, and the interior design will deliver on this promise, with local, natural and healthy materials.

Some of our 3D renderings of the first floor lobby and lounge were also on display, along with this video from the groundbreaking ceremony featuring the owners and designers explaining the project.

The Vermont Business & Industry Expo is the region's largest business-to-business trade show and is hosted by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. An estimated 3,000 people attended the two-day show held at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington.

The Suite Life

 

We are so happy to see one of our current projects in the current issue of Hospitality Design, the premier trade magazine of the hospitality industry. The project at hand is the guestroom renovation of the 22 hillside cottages of the Casa Madrona Hotel and Spa in Sausalito, California

The short article, titled the "suite life", describes how Kim Deetjen, the head of our Interior Studio, has created a niche for herself: suites.  At the Casa Madrona, the design of the guestrooms incorporates the property's history and location, and reflects the area's nautical and artisan influence.

The renovations are currently underway, so to accompany the article, we included a photorealistic rendering of what one of the completed suites will look like. Thanks to Lincoln Brown for his marvelous 3d skills.

You can find the article on page 37 of the May/June issue of Hospitality Design, or by viewing it online at this link.

Samoset Construction Update

 

The construction at the Samoset Resort is nearing completion and we are anxiously awaiting the grand opening of the new lobby, restaurant, and spa. The Samoset is a 230-acre waterfront resort at the edge of Penobscot Bay on the Maine coast. Truexcullins has designed the interior renovations and exterior additions that will strengthen the connection to the ocean, update and expand the dining and lounge facilities, and introduce new guest amenities. Kim and Keith flew out to the project site recently to check in on the progress. Here are some renderings that show a taste of what's to come:

Bar & Lounge:

A new open stair leads down to the Restaurant and Bar from the hotel lobby above, inviting guests to experience the vibrant activity as soon as they step into the building. The sound of the ocean combines with the pleasant aroma of the restaurant for an engaging sensory experience, all driven by the food as the main ingredient. There are a variety of lounge and sitting areas, including fireside seating, a communal table, and club chairs overlooking the ocean. The exposed wood structure defines the space and frames a series of views.

Restaurant:

When the renovations are complete, The Samoset will debut a brand-new Italian restaurant called La Bella Vita Restaurant. La Bella Vita will feature an authentic antipasto Bar, a wood-fired oven and marketplace for Italian specialty foods. Interior finishes and materials reflect those commonly found in domestic Italian kitchens, such as marble, wood, and iron. Changes have also been made to the space to allow for a more direct view from the dining area to the ocean beyond.

Spa:

The project includes the addition of a full-service seaside spa, a first for the Samoset. This view shows the glass entry and retail space, where guests are greeted by a spa receptionist and invited into one of the five private treatment rooms. A private lounge and patio for spa guests overlooks the golf course and ocean. Materials and furnishings are used that reflect the Maine seaside aesthetic, and the whole spa experience is a celebration of the serenity of the surrounding coastal landscape.

 

To read more about the ongoing improvements to the property, check out the project overview on the Samoset Resort website, or read this Renovation Update, posted last month, to the Samoset News & Events Blog.